Bittersweet Cinnamon
by Sindy Sugar
Summary: Haru didn't know what to expect when she moved into her family's old home by herself. She had hoped for some peace from recent events. The last thing Haru expected was to be revisited by two familiar cats she thought she long forgotten. One-Shot AU


A/N: Since there aren't a lot of TCR fanfiction with this genre in mind, I decided to try it for a prompt (I'm not sure which it was for exactly, much less which TCR Bash this was for... its been so long x'D). This'll be my first time writing this particular genre, hope you like it!

Bittersweet Cinnamon

"Why do we own a place all the way out here?" Haru asked herself as she drove down the never-ending empty road, surrounded by many tall trees. "I hope I get to the house before it gets dark, otherwise, I'll definitely get lost."

Haru reached out to the passenger seat next to her, while her other hand stayed firmly on the wheel, as she grabbed the road map from the seat. Lifting it up, she got a clear view of the photograph that she left on the seat before she began the road trip.

"Oh. . ." she whispered before forcing herself to look away and back on the road ahead of her.

It's been no more than a week since her mother had passed away from her sudden illness, leaving her nineteen-year-old daughter alone in this world. For as long as she could remember, it's always been her and her mother. At an earlier age, she recalled her father. A man, who would constantly get sick from the city air and smog, thus causing him and her mother to move here in the mountains, away from the city and its foul and unhealthy air. Unfortunately, it only helped for so long before the family had to leave to live closer to the city in order to have better access to medical care when her father's condition continued to worsen.

Haru looked around at her surrounds from the car's windows and shuddered.

'I can't imagine mom having to give birth to me way out here.'

Although being born and raised out here in the mountains, in the beginning of her life, Haru was glad they left the mountains when they did.

'If only we had left fast enough to save father though. . .'

And yet, here she was moving back into the mountains after all these years, back to the house of her childhood.

After the reading of her mother's will, Haru had inherited the home and the property. The house and its land have been owned by generations from her father's side, how many generations, she didn't know.

Haru sighed.

'If only it were close to the city,' she thought mournfully again.

Her eyes traveled down back to the photograph on the seat next to her. The time-worn photo showed her parents and a younger version of herself holding a white large cat.

Haru smiled sadly.

"I miss Muta too. . . That fat lard. . . " Haru silently spoke, trying to make herself smile, but only did so bitterly.

Glancing down at her map and on the road, a relieved smile appeared on her face.

"Aha! Finally, and just in time the sun is about to set. And it only took four hours for me to get here!" Haru said rolling her eyes and urgently drove the car faster as the sky reddened as if it was ablaze.

* * *

Haru slowly pulled the car up to a lone large victorian, almost mansion-looking house. Her mouth was slightly agape at the sight before her.

"Umm, wow? I barely remember it being this big. . ." she spoke, looking down at the map again to make sure she was at the correct place.

She was suddenly even more grateful for the fact that the house was still furnished. But also dreaded all the dusting and cleaning she'd have to do.

She turned the car off and got out to look up at the house almost looming over her, while the sky darkened from the setting sun.

Haru dug into her pocket and pulled out a golden key and looked back at the car.

'I'll get the luggage later,' she thought stepping towards the house.

Her eyes wandered around her at the darkening thickly forested land surrounding the house, warily.

'Jeez, kind of creepy. Some UMA like Hibagon (A/N: Japanese Bigfoot) could be around here and murder me and no one would know,' Haru jokes to herself nervously. But despite her forced bravery, she found herself walking faster to the front door, jamming the key into the lock and throwing the door open. She practically ran inside and slammed the door shut behind her.

She moved her hand to the wall to try to find a light switch and then finally flipped one. The chandelier above her slowly began to light up.

She took a step forward and looked at the furnished house. Memories flooding back to her. She noticed it was indeed very dusty as she anticipated, but otherwise, everything was in nice shape and it didn't need much work.

A sudden shiver ran down her spine, when she thought she heard some voices.

_**"How curious? What has come so deep into the mountains to be here?"**_ a silky feminine voice spoke.

_**"It appears. . . to be. . . her. . ."**_ another silky voice, but male, spoke.

Haru blinked.

'Is someone here?' Haru thought, hesitatingly moving through the bottom floor of the house, seeing no one. 'It sounded so close. . .'

_**"My! How big she's gotten!"**_ the female voice spoke again, but spoke as if she were gushing.

_**"Indeed. She has gotten quite fetching." **_the male voice spoke once more.

Growing a bit panicked, Haru rushed up the stairs to the second floor and spoke out.

"Hello?!"

But she heard nothing in response.

'Uh oh,' Haru thought, turning on the lights on the second floor and walked about. 'I'm clearly insane. Hearing voices, with British accents too! In a house in the middle of a mountain, in _Japan_! I'm either insane or deliriously tired.'

Haru looked around and opened a room to reveal a simple bedroom with a nicely cushioned bed, that called to her.

'I'm pretty sure it's the latter, cause it's suddenly really hitting me how tired I am.'

Haru turned away and rushed down the stairs and toward the front door.

'I need to hurry and get my luggage inside so I can change into some decent pajamas and hop into bed as soon as possible. Otherwise. . .'

Haru looked behind her at the house, halting her breathing to hear her surroundings, then shrugged it off and rushed outside to the car.

* * *

Five days have passed surprisingly in a flash, unpacking, cleaning and settling in had Haru grateful. She had become so busy working on the house, she really didn't have enough time to think about her mother, recent past events, or even the voices she heard the first night she arrived. Which she noted she hasn't heard since.

She had completed all the minor repairs and tidying on the first and second floors. The final place that needed work was the attic, which she hadn't even looked at yet.

'Ugh, it's going to be a huge mess I bet. But I'll have to face it tomorrow, ' Haru thought, tucking herself into the bed.

Staring at the ceiling above her, Haru's eyes saddened.

'Oh, mom. . . I wish you were still here. It's starting to hit me right now, how lonely it is up here by myself. . . and being surrounded by all these things that are making me nostalgic from my time with you and dad, isn't really helping.'

Turning to her side and nuzzling into her pillow, Haru let her mind wander from those thoughts that only depressed her. She slowly let her eyes that were clouding with tears close and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

What seemed like only minutes, but was actually five hours later, Haru opened her eyes and got up with a groan to look at the clock.

"Two, thirty-five in the morning. . ." Haru told herself and frowned. "Just couldn't stay asleep, could you Haru?"

She fell back into the bed and tried to get comfortable again, only for her to toss and turn.

With a sigh, she threw the covers off of her and got out of bed.

'Maybe a cup of decaffeinated tea will soothe me?'

She left her room and started down towards the stairs, only to frown when she smelt something.

'. . . Is? That. . . cinnamon?' Haru thought, as she reached the bottom step, following the sweet aroma and headed towards the kitchen, only for her brown eyes to widen.

Sitting in the middle of the kitchen table, was a teacup with steam rising from it, with a cinnamon stick poking out of it.

"Huh?"

Haru walked toward the table and looked over the teacup and felt the steam brush her face.

". . . I didn't. . . make this."

Unless she slept walked and made this, but that didn't explain how the tea looked freshly made.

She must have still been half-dead because it looked awfully inviting, despite the strangeness. She slowly took a seat in front of the teacup.

"Well. . . it's here. . . and it's made." Haru shrugged and picked up the teacup and to take a sip.

After taking a gulp, her eyes widen.

"Wow, that's the best tea I've had in a long time," she said aloud.

_**"Then you're lucky."**_

Haru jumped when one of the voices that she heard from her first day there had spoken, but very close, _very_ close, like right behind her close!

Summoning every bit of courage in her, she slowly turned around in her seat, only for her to gasp.

Standing behind her were the towering figures of two human/cat hybrids, that stood on their two hind legs. One was wearing a light-colored linen suit with a top hat and cane in his gloved hands, that were hands and not paws. The other wore a green dress that went to her ankles. She wore an old fashioned purple shawl with a matching hat on her head as she held a green and purple frilly parasol in her own gloved hands. Both were staring at her with gentle smiles on their faces.

A part of Haru was telling her to run and scream as loud as she could. To leave the house, jump into her car and speed off into the distance and never look back. Yet. . .

Haru stared at the green eyes of the male cat and the blue eyes of the female, both surprisingly fascinated her. Which caused her to remain sitting and not even uttering a word.

'This is. . . strangely familiar. . .' her thoughts rang. But her brain was having a hard time processing at this moment.

The female cat giggled behind her hand.

"Oh dear, she doesn't remember us after all, Humbert," she said.

The male cat shook his head in disappointment.

"Ah, perhaps we should reintroduce ourselves again then?" he said, tapping his fingers on his cane and then took a step towards Haru, startling the girl.

Watching with awe, she didn't move as she let the feline pick up her hand and placed a kiss on it.

"Hello, Haru. It's lovely to see you again. I'm Baron Humbert von Gikkingen."

Haru then watched as the female cat came and grabbed her other hand and placed a kiss on it too.

"Hello, Haru. We've missed you so. I'm Baroness Louise von Gikkingen."

Still holding both her hands, the Baron and Baroness beamed down at her.

"We're together again, at last."

Suddenly, something hit Haru.

'These two. . . Baron and Louise. . . they are- they were. . . my old imaginary friends!' Haru thought in realization as she stared at the two with new meaning. 'But. . . I haven't even thought about them in years. Why on earth are they here in front of me now? I don't even believe in such childhood nonsense anymore. So why-?'

Baron and Louise released her hands and sat in the other two chairs at the table, facing Haru's.

"I see you still enjoy my tea, Haru." Baron smiled. "I'm glad that part of you hasn't changed."

Louise quickly interjected.

"Oh, but! Some change is good! I mean, look at our Haru!" Louise said flourishing her hands at Haru. "She's gotten so lovely!"

'This is only my imagination,' Haru told herself as she stared back at the admiring eyes of her former imaginary friends. 'Being alone all this time and yearning for someone to talk to probably just unconsciously made my mind bring them back. This is only in my head, it isn't real.' Haru reasoned to herself before replying hesitantly.

"T-Thank you. Um. . . I . . . er. . ."

Baron and Louise looked at each other and back at Haru.

"If you wish to say something, don't hesitate," Baron said staring intently at Haru.

"Please don't hesitate," Louise said with the same facial expression as Baron. "We wish for our Haru who spoke from the heart."

Haru frowned, trying to decipher if those statements were more requests rather than demands.

"It's just that. . . um. . . and don't take this the wrong way! Um- . . . why. . . are you here?"

Louise and Baron silently stared at Haru, making Haru a bit self-conscious, because neither of them blinked or batted an eye, or even moved before the both of them erupted into laughter.

"Silly Haru!" Louise giggled. "We've always been there for you, whenever you needed us."

"Just like you do now," Baron said and reached behind him to pull out the photograph she constantly held close recently, surprising her as she gazed at it in Baron's gloved hand.

"We are sorry for your loss Haru," Baron said getting up and enveloping the human girl with a hug.

Haru let herself be hugged as she marveled at her situation. Baron's so warm, it seems so real. . . but it _**can't**_ be. Baron and Louise were imaginary. Figments of her imagination that disappeared the same way most imaginary friends do, when their child outgrows them. That should have been the end of it since she was now nineteen years old and yet they stood here interacting with her like nothing ever happened. Clearly her loneliness is causing her to go insane. This is not normal at all.

Louise smiled fondly at Baron and Haru and suddenly sniffed the air with her pink nose.

"Hmm, smells like the angel food cake is ready, along with the cream."

Haru tilted her head and indeed saw that the oven was on and a sweet smell lingered along with the already present smell of cinnamon.

Suddenly, Baron swept Haru off her feet, causing her to yelp.

"Huh?! Hey?!"

Baron didn't say anything as he carried her out of the kitchen and into the living room where he gently placed her on the softly cushioned couch.

Following behind them, Louise carried a large round cake topped with cream and many berries. She placed the cake in front of Haru on the coffee table with a swift twirl and sat next to Haru.

Baron then placed the photo right next to the cake and took a seat on Haru's other side.

"We're sorry about your loss," Louise echoed Baron's previous comment. "But rest assured Haru."

Louise wrapped Haru into a warm hug.

"Baron and I will never allow you to be lonely. Not anymore. Trust us." she whispered into Haru's ear. "I know us being back in your life is. . . unusual. . . and hard to digest but please. . ."

Haru then felt on her other side as Baron embraced her into a warm hug of his own.

"We will surely never let you down," he finished.

Haru stared down at the cake and photo sitting innocently in front of her on the coffee table, as Baron and Louise still continued to have her in their embrace.

'I feel them. . . even though they aren't real, that tea earlier tasted real, this cake in front of me smells real. This is so bizarre. Is this all really in my head?'

"Poor Haru," said Louise placing a gloved hand on Haru's cheek, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You've worked so hard. . . and yet. . . you barely get any sleep, look at those shadows under your eyes. . ." Louise said mournfully.

Baron frowned and got closer as well, causing the brunette to blush at how close the two were to her. 'Have these two always been so. . . in my 'bubble' when I was little?'

"That won't do," he said as he and Louise got up from the couch, shaking their heads in sync.

Haru watched in wonder as her two imaginary friends gracefully moved to tug on her arms and gently caused her to stand on her two wobbly legs.

Baron looked over at Louise who nodded as Baron leaned down to grab the untouched cake and headed towards the kitchen while Louise gently urged Haru forward.

"Come along, you must rest until you are fully refreshed." Louise gently, but firmly pushed at Haru's back in order to lead her to the stairs.

"Huh-? Oh no, I'm fine! Yes, I haven't slept very well these past few weeks, but that's to be expected! So umm, don't worry about me, I'll eventually get back to normal soon!" Haru found herself blabbering to the pretty feline who was still urging her up the stairs. "B-Besides, w-wouldn't it be r-rude to just go to sleep when you guys are. . . about. . .? "

"Nonsense, Haru. We have plenty of time to catch up later, for now, it's late and you must get some well-deserved rest." Louise said with a lull in her voice.

It wasn't really the idea of catching up with them that had Haru anxious not to go to bed. It was more of the idea that her childhood imaginary friends that she hasn't seen in years, insisted she go to bed while she tried to rationalize the disturbing fact that what she just experienced was real. . . or maybe just in her head.

Climbing up the stairs with Louise Haru bit her lip, her heart racing.

'I'm. . . not very happy to see these guys, to be honest. . . Me seeing them and even questioning if this is real or not proves that I'm going insane and I'm not very eager to be a loon yet. . .' Haru thought sarcastically as she and Louise finished climbing the stairs.

'Or this could be just a dream. . .?' Haru considered as she watched Louise push her bedroom door open. 'Or not. . . considering I heard Louise and Baron's voices my first day coming here.'

Anxiety rushing into her from that last thought, she barely noticed that Louise gently sat her on her bed and pushed her into the covers causing Haru to jerk in alarm, which made Louise blink down at her curiously.

"Excuse me, Haru. I'm sorry if I startled you," she smiled softly, placing a hand on Haru's head in an attempt to calm the wide-eyed human girl, who tried her best not to flinch at her touch and once again noting how disturbingly real it felt, as she got under the covers.

Suddenly the aroma of cinnamon flooded the air as the bedroom door opened and Baron stepped inside.

Lifting up her head upward, Louise sniffed the air and smiled at Baron.

"Perfect."

A bit overwhelmed by the bittersweet smell of cinnamon suddenly in the air, Haru looked towards Baron in question.

"What-? How-? Why does the house smell completely like cinnamon all of a sudden?"

With a smile, Baron sat on Haru's bedside.

"I simply have some cinnamon sticks simmering right now on the stove," Baron said smiling fondly down at Haru and placing a hand on her cheek. "You were fond of the scent of cinnamon when you were little. . . does it still sooth you as it once did?"

Being still weirded out by this bizarre situation, Haru slowly tore her gaze away from Baron and up at the ceiling, her thoughts clear as she embraced the aroma around her. Nostalgia flooded Haru, as well as drowsiness, her eyelids suddenly felt very heavy and the bed she lay on almost felt as if she were sinking into it.

Baron and Louise looked at each other and grinned happily.

"So, it still works with you! Oh Haru, it's almost as if you never left!" Louise smiled sitting down on the other side of Haru's bedside.

Despite the desire to sleep, Haru felt a bit uncomfortable, as she looked up at Louise and Baron staring down at her.

"You two. . . I. . ."

"_Shhh_," Louise whispered placing one gloved hand over one of her eyes. "Don't worry, just drift away. . ."

Before Haru could stop it, Baron placed his gloved hand over her other eye, leaving Haru now unable to see.

"_Let go of all your troubles_," Baron whispered as well. "_Rely on us. . . trust us. . ._"

From the smell of cinnamon, the soothing voices of her two long lost friends, and the actual presence of someone besides herself in this lonely house, Haru wasn't able to stay awake any longer. Haru let out a quiet sigh and fell asleep.

* * *

Hearing giggling in the foggy forest area where she stood, Haru, without a thought, followed it. The air cold and misty, Haru crossed her arms together as she continued onward towards the giggling until she reached the backyard of a familiar-looking home and a giggling child with her back facing Haru.

Haru slowly approached the girl but stopped abruptly when her giggles ceased.

"_**Cinnamon**_," the child spoke in an echoed voice, as she stood alone. "_**I'll always like the blend as long as cinnamon is in it**_."

The child then went quiet, causing Haru to gulp as her eyes scanned for someone else the child could possibly be talking to out into the fog. The area was dense with the fog, the trees surrounding them almost hidden, with the exception of the house's outline that was in view of both the child and Haru.

"_**Why don't you believe me**_?" echoed the child's voice again, startling Haru as she stared back at the child.

"_**Cinnamon is my favorite and always will be. . . you know that. . . I want cinnamon in this blend**_," the child said, but in a more distant echoed voice.

Haru frowned down at the child in front of her that continued to have her back towards her, not even acknowledging her existence and continued to have a conversation with someone who was nowhere to be seen.

The child then went silent again, but for a longer period that seemed to last for a few minutes, her form still, as if she was frozen in time. Deciding she watched enough, Haru slowly approached the girl.

"_**It's not like the blend will ever taste bitter with cinnamon. . .**_"

'What in the world. . .?' Haru thought but froze when the girl abruptly spoke again, but with a softer tone.

The figure of the child slowly began to turn towards Haru, causing Haru's eyes to widen as she finally recognized the child in front of her, who spoke her next words sadly with uncertainty as she stared up at Haru.

"_**Right**_?" Haru's younger self asked.

* * *

Abruptly opening her eyes, Haru sat up in her bed with a panicked gasp.

She looked around frantically and noticed it was morning, the sun beaming into the window. Her thoughts instantly thought about last night.

'Was. . . that a dream also?'

Haru then sniffed the air and smelled the lingering smell of cinnamon still in the room.

'It. . . wasn't?'

Staring at the dresser at her bedside, she looked at her cow alarm clock, which showed it was already past noon.

Getting up from the bed, she hesitantly headed towards the door.

"Then where are Louise and Baron then?"

'A disillusion, created by yourself?' the voice in her head nagged her once again. 'Real, but only to you?'

Opening the bedroom door, Haru poked her head into the hallway.

'No,' Haru countered.

"I _felt_ them, they were actually here, giving me tea, putting me to bed, making the house smell like cinnamon, and even hugging me. . . They **had** to have been here. . . I'm not crazy. . .'

Haru felt sweat begin to form on her forehead as she stepped into the quiet hallway and towards the stairs as she hesitantly called out:

"B-Baron. . . ? L-Louise. . .?"

Silence only answered her as she stepped down the stairs and made her voice a bit louder.

"Louise! Baron!"

There was still no reply by the time Haru made it to the last step while she looked her surroundings over anxiously.

'Maybe I _**am**_ going insane.'

Swallowing that prospect, Haru trudged towards the kitchen in despair wondering what to make for herself, but her eyes widen when she saw freshly made waffles with a glass of milk presented on the kitchen table.

'D-Did I take some of my Ambien last night and do all this?"

Eyeing the meal, she slowly approached it and saw under the glass of milk was a letter.

Haru gulped nervously and removed it from under the glass to read, only to crush it in alarm and throw it in the garbage.

" 'Go into the woods behind the house, we'll be waiting.' " Haru quoted and laughed, taking a seat in front of the meal.

"Like I'm stepping foot in those woods by myself! I couldn't do anything like that on my first day back and I'm certainly not going to do that now thank you very much."

She grabbed the fork to her side and began to dig it into her waffles, before slowly turning to her side at the kitchen window to look at the huge trees lining the back of the house as she silently ate.

After finishing eating and cleaning her plate, ignoring the possible origins to her meal stubbornly, Haru once again looked out the kitchen window with uncertainty.

'The note said to go out into the woods and that 'they'll' be waiting.'

Haru bit her lip and walked out of the kitchen and headed to her bedroom.

'By that, does that mean Baron and Louise will be there? B-But they weren't here earlier. If they are truly my imaginary friends wouldn't they be around wherever I want them to be?'

And going out into the woods was the last thing Haru wanted to do. She still didn't feel too safe going alone in the middle of nowhere.

Making it to her bedroom, she changed out of her nightclothes and into a t-shirt and jeans.

'But for crying out loud, they have to be real! Because I sure as heck didn't make those waffles! I only take my Ambien on rare occasions!'

Heading for the closet, Haru looked down at all her shoes and gazed down at her sneakers.

'I was half dead last night, I barely got anything out of that experience. Now that I'm fully awake, I want answers and if that means I need to go out there. . .'

Haru slowly leaned down to pick up her sneakers, headed towards the bed, then sat down to put them on as she eyed her jacket warily.

* * *

"H-Hello?" Haru softly called out as she went deeper into the woods, clutching herself for comfort.

Haru vowed she wouldn't go too far from the house, after all, why would Baron and Louise bring her so far out. Besides, they didn't say anything specific about where they were, just to meet them behind the house in the woods.

Haru frowned.

'At least I hope they don't expect me to go too far out,' Haru thought, wondering how far she should go to avoid being lost.

Suddenly the sound of laughter broke the silence of the forest ahead of her.

Haru shivered.

'That's. . . Louise and Baron, right?'

Continuing towards the laughter, Haru finally saw her two imaginary friends in the middle of a clearing waltzing together, the sun radiated down on them.

Baron and Louise stopped dancing to turn at Haru, who was gawking at them and both eagerly gestured her over.

"Haru! You've joined us!" Louise said and quickly walked up to Haru and grabbed her hands and dragged her to the middle of the clearing with Baron. "We were beginning to worry you wouldn't."

Haru laughed nervously.

"Yeah. . . wouldn't want that."

Baron clapped his hands together.

"Well, now that you're here Haru, we can continue with your dance lessons."

Haru abruptly turned to the tawny feline.

"My what?"

"Your dance lesson, you silly goose!" Louise giggled, tapping on Haru's nose with her gloved finger. "Don't you remember we used to do this before?"

Shaking her head slowly, she watched the two anthropomorphic feline's smiles disappear.

"Ah. . . I see. . ." Louise's voice spoke less cheery. "That's a shame. . ."

Haru blinked. She thought she heard a bit of malice behind her words, but Baron suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Then we'll just have to make new memories with her, until she may regain her old memories of us."

Whatever was behind Louise's voice, if it was really there, instantly vanished and a bright smile enveloped on her face.

"Indeed you're right. Let's do so by starting with a simple waltz."

With on hand on her waist and the other holding her hand, Baron began to lead Haru in a swaying movement, causing Haru to reluctantly pull away.

"B-But wait! I have some questions for-!"

"Shhh. . ." Baron softly whispered placing a finger gently on her lips, looking at her with a penetrating stare. He began to twirl them in circles. "All your questions shall be answered in due time, as for now. . ."

Baron then dipped Haru startling her a bit at this sudden action.

"We dance."

Haru found herself blushing while his intense emerald pupils didn't break eye contact with her brown ones as he swooped her back up.

She then felt her hand that once was holding Baron's being taken and she found herself being handed off now dancing a waltz with Louise.

"Please trust us, Haru," she whispered gliding them both, while she glued her blue pupils to Haru's. "Baron and I only want what is best for you. You have nothing to fear."

The blush still on her face, Haru found herself slowly nodding despite herself. Despite the fact that she was still at a loss about so much. Despite the fact, this may actually all be real or just a hallucination.

She allowed herself to be whisked away while dancing with Louise and Baron in the middle of the clearing of these woods. Suddenly feeling more at peace than she had for the longest of time.

* * *

"Not this again. . ." Haru groaned as she stood in the middle of a densely foggy forest.

'And this time no sign of the house no matter how far I walk," Haru thought walking onward to where she did not know.

"_**Oh! Sorry! I did it again! I didn't mean to step on your foot!**_"

Sighing, Haru continued walking forward, having a good idea who that familiar echoed voice belonged to. Sure enough, through the dense fog, she saw the figure of her younger self dancing alone in a forest clearing.

"_**You guys should know by now I'm a meowys dancer**_," her younger self scolded to no one she stopped dancing to look into a certain direction.

"_**What?**_" her younger self frowned.

"_**I didn't say meowys I said lousy**_!"

Haru watched as the smaller brunette tapped her foot and pouted, still staring off into nothing.

"_**Okay fine, I said it, don't tease me about it, okay**_!"

She waved a finger at the direction she looked at.

"_**You see this is what happens when I spend too much time with you two. I probably need to spend some time away**_," she giggled, but her giggle instantly vanished when she continued to stare into space.

"_**N-No. . . I was only kidding. . . don't. . . take it seriously**_."

Haru watched as her younger self stared down at the ground in what almost looked like shame.

"_**I could never leave you two. . . after all. . . you're my best friends. . . we'll be together forever**_."

Haru continued to watch the scene unfold until the whole scene evaporated into the mist, along with herself.

* * *

"How do you like this blend, Haru?" Baron asked, taking a seat next to Haru on the couch, as she sipped from her teacup.

"Still tastes great as usual Baron," Haru smiled.

Baron grinned happily.

"Indeed, after all, I always put a cinnamon stick in your blends. Cinnamon could never make a blend taste bitter."

Setting her cup down, Haru waved away Louise's offer at another slice of angel food cake and watched Louise and Baron take plates and cups to the kitchen.

Haru sighed and relaxed against the couch.

Baron and Louise were truly spoiling her for some time now. But as her memories of the two slowly came back to her, with the help of her strange dreams she now had every night, she found that they always had a habit of spoiling her rotten.

Looking towards the grandfather clock which stood straight ahead from where she sat she frowned.

'It's past midnight already? Geez!'

Getting up, Haru gave a glance towards the kitchen her friends disappear into and then headed towards the staircase and to the bathroom.

Looking herself over in the bathroom's mirror, she grabbed her toothbrush with toothpaste and slowly began to brush her teeth as she stared blankly at her reflection.

'How long have I been here already?' she thought.

'I think Louise mentioned something a couple of days ago about it having already been a couple of months? It seems like it's only been just a few days.'

Baron and Louise not only spoiled her during this time but also showered so much attention and care on her, it was almost suffocating. Haru could most of the time not lift a finger to do things if her feline friends had a say about it. They cooked for her, cleaned for her, and barely left her side in order to dote on her. Sometimes Haru had to almost literally beg to do some things on her own, which they sometimes allowed. But besides just coddling her, she admits, she loved the attention and love they gave her. She couldn't even remember the last time she felt this carefree, happy, and close to anyone. They laughed and talked with her, made this home actually feel like a home as it did long ago. It was almost like a crazy dream.

Putting away her toothbrush, Haru smelt the familiar whiff of cinnamon in the air.

'Almost like a dream. . .' she thought, leaving the bathroom and headed towards her bedroom where she knew Louise and Baron would meet her.

She slept a lot better now. No longer did she wake up with bags under her eyes for almost the whole day. She no longer did she need to rely on her prescribed medication, Ambien, her doctor gave her after her mom's death, due to stress. The smell of cinnamon in the air while she slept worked wonderfully.

'What will I dream of tonight?'

The recurring theme in her dreams stayed as a hazy image or memory of her younger self talking to nothing but air while she engaged in some activity. At this point, it was obvious her younger self was actually speaking to Baron and Louise, her imaginary friends. . . all she had back then. . .

Shaking away the dark thoughts, Haru opened her bedroom door to see the two dated yet formally dressed felines turning towards her from tidying the room as they offered her gentle smiles.

"Another wonderful day we had with you, Haru," Louise said handing her, her pajamas.

"But you must drift away, so we can be together again once you wake," Baron added as he headed towards the lamp to turn it off which then caused the moonlight from the bedroom window to dimly light the room.

Taking Haru's left hand Louise gently kissed it.

"Have another good night, Haru."

Then Baron took her other hand and placed a kiss on it.

"Rest well."

Smiling drowsily at them she nodded and gave them both hugs.

"Goodnight you two."

With a final smile to her, the two left Haru in her room as she changed into her pajamas and got into bed.

Laying contently in bed, a sudden disquieting thought occurred to her which caused her to frown.

'Now that I think about it, I've never considered where Baron and Louise sleep. If they even sleep?'

Turning in her bed, Haru brushed off her concern.

'Guess I'll just add that to the list of questions I hope I'll get answers to. . . eventually. . .'

With the smell of cinnamon fresh in the air, Haru's eyes closed as she slowly drifted off.

* * *

"_**Haru!**_"

Haru jumped at the sudden unfamiliar voice and quickly looked away from her younger self and at the thick mist ahead which began to slowly dissipate as the figure approached the younger Haru.

Haru's eyes widen as she began to recognize the figure.

Haru's younger form tilted her head a bit and turned to face the newcomer before smiling.

"_**Mommy!**_"

Haru's eyes saddened as she watched her dream self hug a younger version of her mother.

"_**What are you doing out here by yourself, sweetie? Why not come inside and we can play a board game instead?**_"

The younger Haru shook her head as her mother gently lowered her down.

"_**No. I'm already playing a game with my friends.**_"

Naoko frowned down at her daughter.

"_**Friends?**_" she inquired looking around and looking passed the current Haru unnoticed. "_**What friends?**_"

"_**My friends mommy!**_" dream Haru insisted pointing in a direction. "_**See?**_"

Naoko looked off in the same direction and her frown then turned wary.

"_**Ah. . . yes. . . your imaginary friends. . ."**_

Young Haru then frowned impatiently.

"_**No. Not imaginary, they're real!**_"

Haru eyed the two as they all stared at nothing but the mist that was facing them for a long moment before her mother drew in a breath deeply and sighed.

"_**Oh Haru,**_" Naoko said kneeling to meet her daughter at eye level. "_**It's nice that you are coping in your own way to this way of life, but it's no good. You should have real friends, not imaginary ones**_."

The young Haru stomped her foot in frustration.

_**"But mom! They're re-!"**_

Sighing again, Naoko kissed her daughter's forehead and stood up.

Giving Haru a mournful glance, she spoke again.

"_**I'm sorry**_."

With that said, her mom walked away and disappeared into the thick fog leaving the young Haru standing alone as she breathed out;

"_**Real friends?**_"

* * *

Sitting in bed with a frown, she stared down at her quilt, hard in thought.

"Real friends?"

Haru's frown deepened.

'Real friends. . .' she thought again, letting the two words sink in.

". . . Hiromi. . . Toto. . ." Haru whispered, her eyes slowly widening. "Yuki! Lune!"

Haru jumped out of bed in alarm.

"Gah! How could I forget?!"

Quickly, she ran to her dresser and searched the top desperately.

"My phone! My phone! Where is it?!"

Scanning her room quickly she got dressed and rushed out of the room.

'It's been so long, too long. I promised them I would call them once I got settled in. I haven't even picked up my cell since I got here.'

Rushing down the stairs, Haru went to the dining room and stared at her surroundings.

'Not here either,' Haru thought with a groan.

'I haven't seen my phone in so long. . . it could be anywhere.'

"Louise! Baron!" Haru called out. "You guys. . . erm. . . 'up' yet? Have you seen my cell phone anywhere?"

Not getting a reply, Haru groaned again and went out the front door.

'Maybe I left it in my car?'

But before she could make it to her car, Haru's gaze drifted to her side to see the mailbox, where she saw a lone manila envelope lying in it.

'Huh? Mail? But all the mail I pick up is at the post office. . . unless. . .'

Walking to the mailbox and pulling out the envelope, Haru's eyes lit up.

"It's from Lune and Yuki!"

Opening it up, Haru pulled out a written letter.

_Dear Haru,_

_How are you these days? Is everything alright? You haven't called and we've been calling you over and over for months, with no answer!_

_Are you upset with us?_

_Hiromi and Toto are getting anxious for not being able to contact you and frankly so are we._

_We all understand you are going through a rough time. We just figured we give you a bit of space to cope and process your mother's death. But that was months ago and we're all greatly concerned._

_It must surely be lonely up there? It's not healthy to be alone that long and deal with grief by yourself._

_Whether you are not receiving our calls because of the reception up there or you're not wanting to talk, we've handwritten this letter out of desperation to reach out to you._

_Please call us, Haru._

_If you do not call us back, Yuki, Toto, Hiromi and I will be forced to come up there in person to see how you're doing ourselves._

_We love you Haru. Just know we are all worried about you and you're in our minds and hearts._

_Sincerely,_

_Lune and Yuki._

Haru read through the letter a couple of times, in shock.

"What?"

Looking up abruptly, she darted towards her car and threw its doors open and dug around inside.

"Where the hell is my phone?!"

Deciding she looked enough in the car Haru closed the doors.

'How could I let it get this bad? How could I forget my friends like that?!'

A sudden thought occurred that disturbed her.

'How. . . could I forget my mom's death so easily?'

Haru paced the ground.

'Okay, think Haru. Where haven't you checked for your phone?'

She frowned.

She already looked in most areas of the house. Places like the bathrooms, basement, or attic are out of the question.

Haru froze.

'Wait a minute. . . the attic. . .'

She hasn't even been in the attic yet, even since first coming here.

Now that she thought about it, she was supposed to clean in there, but then Baron and Louise appeared and she got distracted and forgot all about cleaning it.

Haru walked towards the front door.

'There's no reason my phone is in there since I have yet to go into the attic, but still. . .'

Once she made it back inside, Haru slowly climbed the stairs and headed towards the back of the house towards the closed attic door above her.

She groaned to herself once she saw there wasn't a rope or string to tug on in order to open the attic's door.

Looking around for anything she could use to reach up, she grabbed a floor lamp. After removing the shade, she flipped it upside down and carefully flipped the lamp so that the bottom was pointing towards the attic's knob.

Using the lamp's flat bottom to tug on the attic's doorknob, the attic door creaked and opened causing the ladder to fall to her feet.

With a sigh, she set down the lamp and looked up at the dark opening reluctantly.

'It's probably going to be so dusty and muggy,' Haru thought preparing herself for a sneezing fit and climbed the ladder and up into the dark attic.

Squinting her eyes, she saw it was indeed dusty and slightly muggy, the room only being lit by a small stained window to the side. Moving around, Haru tried to turn on the lights but groaned in dismay realizing the lightbulb was blown.

Deciding she could work with the window's dim light, she moved carefully around and looked at her surroundings.

'Wow, mom and dad really did leave a lot behind.'

Turning to her side she saw her old wooden cradle and next to it a wooden dollhouse.

Smiling fondly she went to it and crouched down to get a closer look, only to sneeze because of the closer proximity of the dust.

'It's actually in pretty good shape still."

Next to the dollhouse, she saw other things she used to play with. Some girly dolls, a teddy bear, her finger painted pictures, a handful of toys from old anime she used to watch, and board games and cards.

'What I wouldn't give to go back to those simpler times. . .'

Getting up, she turned to move away only for something to catch her eye. She slowly turned towards the direction to see a small green blinking light.

". . . What?" Haru mouthed as she went towards it to see it buried under other things.

Pushing random things away to reach the source of the blinking, she froze when she found something. . . very familiar.

"My. . . my cell phone!"

Haru turned it on and gaped at the 96 missed calls and 414 missed text messages, from mostly Toto, Hiromi, Yuki, and Lune.

Haru gulped and listened to the first few recent messages.

_"Haru! It's been so long! Quit ignoring my calls and just contact me already! Please! Or so help me, I'll leave right now and drive up there and __**make**__ you answer! "_ came the nearly hysterical voice of Hiromi, causing Haru to cringe. _"Pick up your damn phone already! This has gone on long enough, Haru!"_

The next message played.

_"Haru. . . you there. . .?. . . You know you still aren't answering any of us, right? Y-You know, the offer still stands to move in with us? Although we just have a one-bedroom apartment, we could make it work, maybe even move into a bigger place together? It would be better than letting you live up there all alone. . ." _Haru heard a shaky sigh. _". . . This is very concerning Haru. . . Hiromi is a mess. . . and frankly, I am too. J-Just. . . call us back, okay?"_

After Toto's message ended, Haru listened to the next one.

_"Haru, please tell us what's going on," _Yuki's soft voice spoke. _"If you are hurting so badly, just please tell us. We'll be up there in a minute to help you get through this. We can get as much time off from our work as necessary to be there for you. Or we can even have you come down and spend time with us?" _Yuki spoke with melancholy hope.

Haru heard some scuffling in the background before she heard the voice flip to Lune's.

_"Don't push us away, Haru. We want to help. You are never a bother to any of us. You know that, right?"_

Hearing enough, Haru turned off her voicemail.

'I'm such a horrible friend. . .' Haru thought, sitting herself down and curled herself into a ball, trying to gather her jumbled thoughts together.

She looked back towards the pile of things her phone was buried under, her brown eyes were suddenly glued to one object, in particular, lying on the ground.

She hesitantly reached for it and lifted it towards the light. Haru quickly recognized it to be her family photo.

'This isn't mine,' Haru thought thinking of her own being framed and well taken care of on her bedside right now. 'This is just another copy.'

But on closer inspection, lifting the photo higher towards the window's light, Haru's eyes widen.

There were scratch marks on it. White lines that were intensely scored in the photo. . . specifically over the faces of her parents and Muta. . .

"Ah, there you are, love."

Haru jumped and turned quickly behind her to see the slightly dark figure of Baron smiling towards her.

"Louise and I have been searching for you, breakfast is ready."

Haru eyed him warily.

"My cell phone. . ." Haru spoke hesitantly, raising her phone in her hand. "I didn't put it up here, This is my first time in the attic. . . how did it get here?"

Baron's green eyes eyed the phone in her hands for a second before giving her a confused glance.

"I don't know. If you're implying that I brought it up here, then no I did not. Perhaps Louise did, but that's highly unlikely considering Louise and I are technophobes of modern technology and would just rather stay away." Baron then grinned. "We do however enjoy watching you toy around with them."

'There is no way I brought my cell here. . .' Haru thought, looking down at her phone. 'Unless I slept walked, but that would be insane since I would have needed to find a way up here in the first place and try to pull down the ladder, half asleep.'

Baron reached forward and grabbed Haru's other hand.

"Anywho, your breakfast is ready, Haru."

"But I-"

"All in good time, my dear," Baron urged already descending the ladder. "Come have breakfast and you can even discuss your concerns with Louise if you wish."

"Okay. . ." Haru whispered with a frown as she climbed down the ladder as well.

'Maybe I _**have**_ gone insane after all,' she thought in slight fear, as she followed behind Baron.

'I have no memory of bringing my cellphone up in the attic, much less actually going up there. And what reason would Baron and Louise have for bringing my phone up there? Maybe I did unconsciously bring it up to the attic? Maybe I really am losing it? After all, I'm over here interacting with imaginary beings that are possibly not real, _normally_, like nothing for the past few months. What sane person does that?! I've also forgotten my friends and the thought of contacting them never occurred to me once!'

She had also forgotten about the recent death of her own mother. In this very short time, who could possibly forget such a thing?!

Her thoughts then went back to the eerie photo of her family, her young face the only one not viciously scratched out.

Are all of these things a result of her mind slowly becoming seriously ill?

"There we are," Louise smiled gently urging Haru to sit.

Haru jumped, having realized she and Baron had already made it into the kitchen and was now sitting in front of another western-style breakfast with a cup of tea to the side, a cinnamon stick poking out of it.

"Louise, Haru tells me she found her cellphone in the attic, yet she has no memory bringing it up there in the first place."

Haru's attention was immediately glued to Louise and Baron.

"Oh?" Louise said tilting her head and stared at Haru with concern.

"You don't recall placing your cellphone up in the attic? How curious. . ."

Louise's response made Haru pale.

'Louise doesn't know anything either. . .'

Haru bit her lip, a sudden dreaded question wanting to erupt from her, that almost brought bile into her throat.

"Louise. . . Baron. . .?" Haru breathed.

Sky blue and emerald eyes turned their attention to Haru, the room suddenly eerily quiet.

"Are. . . Are you two. . . real?"

Baron and Louise stared silently at Haru long and hard, almost to the point Haru started to feel very uncomfortable. Just when Haru was going to take back what she asked, Baron and Louise smiled warmly at her.

"Of course we are, Haru." they both said in unison.

Haru released a sigh of relief that she had been holding.

"O-Oh well, okay then. . . Thank goodness. . . I-I was beginning to believe that I-"

"You made us real after all, Haru," Louise said, causing Haru to freeze.

"Indeed," Baron then said. "We're real because you wanted us to be, therefore, we are."

Now the bile in her throat wanted to come fully up.

'They're imaginary. . . ' Haru thought. 'Not real after all. . . None of this was real.'

This was all just something her mind made up to help her cope with the loss of her mother and the loneliness that overtook her, being in this house alone in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by happy childhood memories. As a result, things evaded her, she forgot things, simple things like not cleaning the attic. Serious things like her mom's death or staying in contact with her close friends. Her doing things such as making the food in front of her right now that her 'friends' supposedly made for her. . . or misplacing her phone in a room she had no recollection being in. Laughing, talking, and interacting with Baron and Louise. . . two figments of her imagination from her childhood coming back to haunt her and to distract her, her friends. . . her imaginary friends. . . she wasn't well after all. . .

Louise and Baron stared in concern at the brunette.

"Come now dear," Louise said gesturing towards the food and tea.

"If you're not feeling well at least have some of my new blend. Hopefully, it will soothe you," Baron gently urged.

Dazed, Haru looked down at her cup of tea innocently sitting in front of her with the cinnamon stick sticking out.

'I don't remember making this. . .' Haru thought sadly.

With a sigh, Haru lifted the teacup to her lips and drank the warm liquid.

It tasted bitter.

* * *

_**"She's outside talking with those things again, dear. I really don't like it."**_

Haru found herself in a misty setting again, but instead of being outside, she stood in a bedroom, with a younger version of her mother standing next to her sickly father lying in a bed.

Haru fought the urge to start tearing up at the sight of her ill father. She remembered when he was like this. . . when he started to get worse. It had been so long.

Her father softly waved a hand in dismissal.

_**"She's just playing, Naoko. It's harmless fun."**_

Naoko firmly shook her head.

_**"I just don't like it. It's been years already and Haru still does this."**_

Her father frowned.

_**"Honey, you really should cut her some slack. It's not like she has anyone else she can play and talk to. I'm in bed all day and you work in your office into the wee hours of the night. What is she supposed to do? Besides, imaginary friends are somewhat common for kids."**_

Naoko sighed in exasperation.

_**"Yes, but at her age? She's going to be nine soon, Isamu! She is starting to spend more time with her 'friends' than she does with us and she doesn't even seem to mind and when I do invite her to play with one of us, she declines and prefers to be by herself. I'm telling you Isamu, kids her age should have already forgotten their imaginary friends and actually play and talk to other kids their age. She's shouldn't be this introverted. Most kids her age, even if they're shy, are generally extroverted. Even shy kids find at least one friend to play with, our Haru hasn't even experienced such a thing yet."**_

Isamu silently watched his wife sigh and sit on the bed next to him.

_**"You're right," **_he began_**. "Haru should be able to interact with real friends. We've had her secluded long enough, because of me. . ."**_

He closed his dark eyes and sighed.

_**"I think it's time we moved out of the mountains and back into the city."**_

Naoko gave her husband an alarmed look.

_**"But honey, you're still not well! In fact. . . your health is getting even more delicate. . . taking you back into the city air might just be your undoing!"**_

Isamu smiled sadly.

_**"In the mountains or in the city, I fear my undoing is only a matter of time anyway, love." **_

Haru's hands fisted to her side as she watched her parents stare at each other gravely, a knot forming in her chest.

_**"At this point. . . it would probably be best now to move to the city again to be closer to medical help," **_her father continued. _**"It's probably for the best. . . For this family. . . for our Haru. . ."**_

Naoko reached for Isamu's hands in her own and squeezed them as tears formed in her eyes.

_**"Can we. . . have time to think. . .about this. . . before we do anything rash?"**_

Isamu removed his wife's hands from his own, so he could cup hers instead and brought them up to his lips.

_**"Yes."**_

Haru watched her parents, her heart aching. Her two beloved parents who were now no longer among the living and left her behind.

She suddenly heard a small creak and Haru turned around quickly to see the room's door slightly ajar and saw on the other side, her younger self peering at her parents, distress clearly visible in her innocent eyes. Haru watched as her younger self tipped toed from the door and ran out of view.

_**"As for now."**_

Haru turned her attention back to her parents, who were oblivious to the fact they were previously watched by their young daughter.

Isamu reached next to him towards the dresser and opened a drawer and pulled out a brown wallet.

_**"I want you to go into town tomorrow and visit the shelter,"**_ Isamu said holding the wallet out for Naoko.

Haru jerked as her parents and the setting of the room began to disappear into the present mist that still loomed around until nothing was left but her standing alone in the mist.

"What. . .?" Haru breathed aloud.

_**"Haru! Can you come up here for a second, sweetie!"**_ her mother's voice called.

_**"Coming mommy!"**_

The younger version of herself suddenly rushed past her, from out of nowhere. Then all of a sudden, Haru found herself in the familiar setting of the bedroom again, with her mother standing by the bed and her father sitting up in it, with a small box in his arms.

Haru's younger self skipped into the room, her hands both out to her sides as if she were holding hands with two beings at each side of her.

Naoko grimaced at her daughter.

_**"Oh. . . you brought Baron and Louise with you. . ."**_

The younger Haru sheepish grinned.

_**"Yeah, we were just in the middle of playing house."**_

Isamu gave his wife a stern look and then looked back at his daughter with a warm smile.

_**"That aside sweetheart, come see the present your mom and I got for you."**_

Isamu placed the box in front of him for his daughter to see and opened it. He slowly reached in and pulled something out that made Haru's younger self squeal.

_**"A kitty!" **_she cheered, her hands leaving her sides as she rushed over to her father.

As Haru watched the scene, she could have sworn she heard the sound of two objects falling to the floor with a thud but did not investigate and watched the scene unfold in front of her.

_**"His name is Muta," **_Naoko chuckled, as the young girl gathered the chubby white kitten, with a lone brown spot on his left ear, in her arms.

_**"Buta?" **_

Isamu threw his head back and laughed at his young girl's comment.

_**"No sweetie, it's Muta, but you know it's pretty fitting," **_he grinned.

_**"He's going to be your new friend, Haru," **_Naoko said as she and Isamu happily grinned down at their ecstatic daughter.

_**"You mean he's really mine?!" **_she blinked up in shock at her parents. At her parent's nodding, her smile grew even larger. _**"Thank you!"**_

The young girl carefully climbed onto the bed, with Muta in her arms, and kissed her father and mother's cheek before rushing out of the room with the kitten eagerly.

Isamu and Naoko stared at the door their daughter exited from fondly, but Naoko looked down at the floor and frowned.

_**"She left them." **_

Isamu sighed.

_**"Don't worry, Haru loves them so much, she'll eventually come back for them, kitten or not."**_

_**"That won't happen." **_Naoko firmly stated and bent down to the floor and grabbed something, Haru couldn't visibly see. "I'm going to put them up in the attic and they'll stay up there."

Isamu stared at his wife warily.

_**"Naoko. . ."**_

_**"Don't worry. Hopefully, Haru will appreciate an actual living thing to play with and not even notice them being gone." **_

Haru blinked at what she was hearing, staring at her mother's empty hands, which apparently did carry something.

_**"But you don't need to put them in the attic, Naoko. Them suddenly disappearing might upset, Haru. Some kids don't take well to being forced to part with something special to them. At least place them out in the open somewhere," **_he said leaning forward with worry.

Naoko sighed.

_**"Dear. . . how do you expect Haru to grow out of this if we let things continue the way they are and not help things move forward? This is for the best. . ."**_

Isamu stared at his wife for a moment before slumping back into the bed.

_**". . . Perhaps you're right," **_Isamu said followed quickly by a cough.

Staring at her husband in concern, she sighed and looked down at what was in her hands wearily.

_**"Besides I don't think I'm comfortable with placing them out in the open like some regular household decorations. . ." **_she said heading towards the door_**. "These things and their stares always gave me the creeps anyway. . ."**_

As if something snapped, Haru noticed the flickering image of what her mom was holding.

In her arms, two familiar faces, wooden cat figurines with brightly stoned eyes appeared, but strangely, an unfamiliar red color gleamed in them.

Haru backed away from the scene, as her mother carried the two figurines of Baron and Louise away, the setting all around her disappearing like static till there was nothing but mist again. Shaking her head with disbelief, Haru let out a piercing scream.

* * *

"No!" Haru screamed as she jolted upright in her bed, out of breath and clutching her heart. She frowned.

"What-?"

She looked over to her side at her cow alarm clock.

"Two fifty-three in the morning. . ." Haru growled and slumped on the bed. ' I couldn't just have stayed asleep?'

But after _that _dream, she wasn't sure she even wanted to go back to sleep. For some reason seeing Baron and Louise as those figurines had her spooked to the very core.

'Louise and Baron were figurines? Why did I not remember this detail before?'

She bit her lip.

'I suppose. . . with how things are going lately with my mind and all, that detail about my imaginary friends was based on two dolls I once owned originally is just another thing I forgot?'

Something struck her suddenly.

"But where _are_ the dolls right now then?"

In her dream, her mother said she was going to put them in the attic. Maybe they were still up there stored away?

Suddenly wanting to see the dolls that she based on her two nonexistent friends on, she slowly got out of bed and walked quietly out of the room and into the dark hallway. Not wanting to turn on the lights, Haru squinted and used the moonlight from the windows to guide her down towards the end of the hallway, towards the attic door.

Once she was under the door, she stared at it with trepidation. Reaching for the lamp to her side, she once again used it like she did earlier and yanked the attic's door open, causing its ladder land to her feet.

Looking up at the darkened attic, Haru contemplated entering there without any light. She rushed into the supply room and grabbed a flashlight and hurried back towards the attic, once again staring at the attic's ladder. After some time, she finally began to climb the ladder and made it inside and nearly jolted at what she immediately saw.

Four glowing circles were shining straight ahead of her on what she could make out to be an old coffee table of theirs. Two bright green and the others were a brilliant blue.

Mesmerized, she shakily flipped on her flashlight and pointed it towards the four glowing objects.

Haru gasped aloud as she was face to face with the two wooden cat forms of her imaginary friends.

The brilliant blue orbs being the eyes of the white-furred cat who wore a green dress with a purple shawl and parasol in her gloved hand. Next to her the bright green orbs belonging to the eyes of a tawny furred cat who wore a crisp white suit and top hat with a cane in his gloved hands. They were identical to the Louise and Baron she had come to know.

Walking slowly towards the still figures she gasped in awe.

"They're so beautiful. . . They almost look like they can be actual living things,' she thought as she stood in front of them and carefully picked up the Baron doll. 'No wonder I had these guys as imaginary friends. It sure beats having a plain teddy bear as an imaginary friend,' she giggled to herself.

After examining the doll, she placed the Baron figure down and picked up the Louise figure.

'Despite them being pretty old they're in pretty good shape,' Haru thought with a frown. 'How long did we have these?'

Haru cursed her memory, suddenly very frustrated.

She placed the white furred figure down and looked around the room as if she could find answers from her surroundings. Suddenly the aroma of cinnamon began to fill her nostrils.

'What the- cinnamon? Now?'

Haru looked towards the attic's exit, wondering if the smell was coming from the kitchen or just her mind playing tricks on her again.

"Oh come on! Did I really make a cup of tea earlier or is this smell just in my head?"

_**"Neither."**_

Haru abruptly turned at hearing two familiar voices and was face to face with Baron and Louise staring back at her, their warm faces now looking strained.

"Baron?! Louise?! What the-?!"

Haru looked behind them and saw there were no longer smaller wooden versions of themselves on the table.

"Where did the figures go-?"

"Neither."

Haru blinked at the two.

"What?"

"Neither," they repeated again.

"You nether made a cup of tea nor imagined the smell in your head," Baron simply said.

"You are smelling cinnamon right now because it's an actual smell," Louise added.

Haru stared at the two, in confusion.

"What are you ta-?"

Louise sighed loudly, making the brunette stop mid-sentence.

"It hurts you know. . ." her blue eyes turning to Baron. "That you were doubting us being real."

"We told you we were real, Haru. Wasn't that enough?" Baron asked.

When Haru failed to say anything Baron spoke again.

"But to be truthful, you getting lost into your own delusion that we were just a figment of your imagination worked wonders for us," he spoke coldly, making Haru flinch in alarm.

"Baron and I were already getting a feeling you were having doubts about what was real or not these past wonderful months, but you being unaware of that fact for a while helped with us to move on," Louise said with a grim smile that then went dark. "But then you had to wake up again."

The room went silent as the two felines stared hard at Haru, who was getting a shiver up her spine.

"Y-You guys. . . w-why are you a-acting like this a-all of a sudden, you're not making any sense. D-Did I do s-something to make y-you angry?" Haru shakily spoke.

The two well-dressed feline's dark looks instantly vanished and turned friendly again.

"Of course not, Haru," Louise waved a gloved hand.

"At least. . . _you _didn't. . ." Baron added.

Suddenly, Haru watched as Baron pulled out something from his inner coat pocket and was startled to see her framed family photo, but before Haru could react, Baron dropped the picture to the ground, having the frame break along with the glass that shattered on the ground.

Staring at her ruined picture frame, Haru hesitantly reached out to grab the photo but was beaten to the punch by Louise who snatched it up before her.

"Haru. . ." she breathed. "Why did you allow your mother to lock us away?" holding the photo in front of her with only her thumb and index finger.

The sudden tension in the air was really starting to get to Haru because she began to squirm in place, not answering.

With a sigh, Baron took the picture from Louise.

"Your mother stored us away after she and your father gifted you with that ridiculously large kitten. But the question is this Haru, why didn't you look for us?"

Louise's eyes saddened.

"Were we nothing to you Haru? That when you got a new friend you no longer cared about your old ones?"

"N-No I. . . I _did_ search for you both!" Haru found herself blabbing out despite her hazy memory. "I didn't know mom purposely hide you both from me."

Baron and Louise said nothing as they both stared intently at the shaking brunette.

She couldn't bring her thoughts together. Nothing made sense. Every time she thought of her two imaginary friends in her past, her mind just came up blank. Haru tried to imagine what happened after her mom took Louise and Baron away, what did she do during that time? She began to think of Muta. She remembered she _did_ search for her two friends after recently getting her kitten, but her only clear memories of the time were of Muta. She remembered feeling a different sense of comfort when she was with Muta instead of her friends. She got wrapped up into it until one day she eventually began to stop looking for her friends and then she and her family moved. . .

Guilt struck Haru suddenly.

She really _did_ stop looking. . .

"You guys I. . . I'm sorry. . . After a while, I _did_ stop looking for you both."

The two felines remained silent, their faces blank.

"I-I appreciate you both, you two were my first friends, I really did love you both. But when I got Muta. . . I guess it was nice. . . to actually have a friend that others can see and interact with. And when I moved. . . I met kids my own age and met wonderful friends, who still remain my good friends."

Haru stared at the floor.

"Although. . . I've been neglecting them recently. . . But I'm so sorry about what I did to you both, I know this all is mainly my fault. I'm so sorry I was a horrible friend to you."

Haru looked up and saw confused looks on Louise and Baron's faces, confusing her as well.

"But Haru, how are Muta and your other friends any different from Baron and me?" Louise asked.

". . . Well. . . " Haru began staring at the two warily. ". . . You both are just imaginary. Now you two are currently just hallucinations I've created to help me block my harsh realities. Muta and my friends right now are real, they actually exist. . . you two were never there. . ."

Baron and Louise chuckled lightly.

"Oh, Haru. You're quite a precious thing," Louise purred.

"We do exist, Haru. You made it so," Baron hummed.

"T-That may be so to _you_, but. . . "

"No Haru. We _do_ exist," Baron pressed. "But it's true. . . we weren't always as you say, 'real'."

Haru gave them a look, which prompted Baron to continue.

"Louise and I were once just normal wooden figurines and like this house, passed down by generations from your father's side. Back then, we were nothing but wood, that was, until you came around," Baron said with a fond look in his green eyes, as he turned to Louise who wore the same look.

"After a while, you grew very fond of us, loved us in fact, loved us so much we were given life. Although, this might be difficult to process, trust us when we say this Haru. We are real because you made us so."

Haru opened and closed her mouth repeatedly but was not able to get anything out right away and after a long period of silence, Haru tried to breathe out a reply.

"Y-You're r-real t-then? I-Is that true?"

"It was devastating to us when you left with your family from this house. . . from us," Baron said taking a step closer, causing Haru to take a step back.

"We have wallowed in our grief for the longest time, believing we would never see you again. . . but then. . . you came back to us," Louise said moving closer to Haru also. "The moment Baron and I saw you walk through the front door, full-grown, we made an oath then and there we wouldn't let you go again."

A shiver ran down Haru's spine as she swallowed hard.

"We didn't originally plan for you to believe we were all in your head," Louise continued. "But it did work to make you pull yourself into limbo."

"Which is what we wanted," Baron said, reaching for Haru's hand to cradle in his own gloved one. "Reality is a cruel place, Haru, too cruel for you to be in. The reality we had made up for you was a better place for you."

Haru pulled her hand away.

"Maybe so," Haru said finding her voice again. "But at what cost? I ended up being too caught up in this reality you made up for me, a reality where it was just the three of us and no one else, that I forgot everything else. I forgot my responsibilities, I forgot my friends who have been worried sick about me, I even forgot about my own mother, whose death wasn't that long ago!"

Baron and Louise's faces darkened.

"It was for the best. You have no need for such distractions, like your grief for your mother. It only hindered your _true_ happiness."

"But it isn't real! I can't just close myself off like this just because you two want to shelter me!" Haru argued back.

Suddenly a strong smell of cinnamon filled her nostrils which caused Haru's head to begin to hurt and her mind began to spin, causing her to feel wobbly on her feet.

_**"We only wanted to shield you from the cruel real world Haru, because things won't be 'fun' as they should be for you." **_

Haru couldn't tell who was speaking right now, she was too busy trying to get ahold of herself as she stumbled and leaned against something to her side for support, her vision growing blurry.

_**"We wanted you to have no need of the outside world, only us."**_

At this point, Haru's hearing was a bit muffled as her vision got cloudier and cloudier. Her breath quickened as she desperately clawed at the furniture she clutched at for support.

_**"You are such a bad child, you had to peek behind the blindfold, you couldn't resist peeking." **_

_**"Perhaps we should just have blinded you instead?" **_

Now her vision began to grow dark, as she heard the two once comforting voices draw closer to her, panic and adrenaline rushing through her.

_**"Although, it was your foolish mother who took us away from you."**_

_**"Although it was your spineless father who wanted to stop her, but didn't."**_

_**"Although it was that large nuisance, Muta who stole your affections."**_

_**"You still let it all get to you."**_

What was left for her to see at this point were the two figures looming over her as she was now crouched down to the ground, cradling herself. For a split second, Haru's vision was clear. The image of Baron and Louise leaning over her with twisted and demented like wide Cheshire grins growing on their faces as their eyes began to widen abnormally as well.

_**"You may think that your mother, Muta, and father left you, but you weren't the only one abandoned Haru, you also abandoned us, long before you yourself were abandoned." **_

A sob erupted from Haru's throat as her whole body began to violently tremble.

"P-P-Please. . ." Haru barely whispered out.

_**"We love and adore you, Haru... we really do, no matter what you do." **_

Now Haru's vision was completely gone and Haru thrashed around in panic. But she stopped when she felt a sharp pain in her chest, which caused her to freeze where she was and let her mouth hang open.

_**"We need to make sure you never leave us again." **_

The lingering smell of cinnamon smelled bitter, as Haru slowly began to let herself fall from her upright position and began to lose consciousness, but not before she heard the sound of wood clattering.

* * *

"Are we there yet?!" said the auburn-haired young woman, as she was unable to sit still in the back seat, next to the raven-haired man to her side.

"I-I believe so?" said the jet black-haired man driving the vehicle down the forestry road.

The raven-haired man grabbed the auburn-haired woman's hand.

"Please be calm Hiromi, we'll be there soon."

Hiromi looked towards him in distress.

"I-I know. . . but I can't help but feel uneasy, Toto." Hiromi said biting her lip.

The raven-haired man nodded, brushing some of his long locks out of his face with a sigh.

"I know how you feel. I feel odd as well," Toto frowned.

"All I know is I'll feel a lot better once we actually see, Haru." said the blond young woman in the front, seated next to the jet black-haired man driving, who glanced at her for a moment, before eyeing the road again.

"I agree with Yuki. We should save our energy and worries until we actually talk to Haru. There is no need to worry right now," he said with a tinge of uncertainty in his voice.

"Lune, are we really any closer?" Hiromi asked leaning forward in her seat.

Clutching the steering wheel tighter, Lune glanced at Yuki, who glanced down at the road map in her hands.

"We should be seeing a turn any time now," Yuki answered.

"Great then! So we're close?" Hiromi pressed.

"Closer than we have been before," Yuki nodded.

With his fingers fidgeting, Toto sighed and leaned closer to the seat in front of him.

"Lune, could we maybe go faster?"

Lune chuckled nervously.

"I would love to, but we'd be going way over the limit, I'm already pushing it right now. We've already been pulled over four times when you drove us half of the way here."

"Come on Lune! We're in the middle of nowhere! There isn't another car in sight, let alone a police car! We won't be hurting anyone!" Hiromi cried in exasperation.

Biting his lip, Lune looked to Yuki at his side, who gave him a stern nod making him sigh.

"Okay, faster it is."

With that, Lune pushed the gas pedal and the vehicle sped down the long road, nearly missing their turn. The closer they got, the more the big house began to be in view, which made the four stare in awe at the sight of it.

"Wow, I didn't know it was this big," Yuki breathed.

"And the fact it's here. . . in the middle of nowhere. . . " Toto added.

Hiromi looked down at her lap.

"It must be so lonely up here, ugh! We should have come sooner!"

Lune slowed the car the closer they got, his eyes widening.

"Look! Her car is in the driveway, she's home."

Once Lune parked the car, the four quickly scrambled out and rushed to the front door.

Being the closest to the door, Yuki knocked on it firmly.

The four waited a bit but did not get a reply.

Hiromi groaned and knocked repeatedly on the door.

"Haru! Open up! We said we were coming and we're here! Don't ignore us now that we're here!"

There was still no response.

Lune then knocked loudly and firmly on the door with a bit of anxiety in his rhythm.

"Haru? Please, open the door!"

There was still no answer.

Yuki and Hiromi immediately pulled out their cellphones and dialed away desperately.

"She hasn't answered before, she won't answer now you two," Lune said as he moved away from the door and towards a nearby window to peer inside and was quickly joined by the two women.

"See her?!" Hiromi asked.

"No. . . nothing," Lune said with dread.

"She could be upstairs," Yuki stated.

"Oh-! What if something really happened to her?!" Hiromi said, her voice nearly in hysterics.

Shaking his head, Toto growled.

"Enough, we have to go inside, now. I'll take responsibility for this."

Before the three could turn to see what he was doing, Toto kicked the door down off its hinges, startling the three but it was quickly forgotten, when Toto marched inside the house and they scrambled behind.

The four stood in the house now, looking at the surroundings, the house was quiet, but not a comforting quiet, the place looked almost gray, despite the fact it was full of color. Everything about the atmosphere seemed eerie, making the four of them hesitant to move.

"H-Haru?" Hiromi managed to breathe out, only getting silence as her answer.

They all looked at one another before separating to search the house. But the more they searched the place, the living room, the kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms, with no sign of Haru, the more dread began to fill the four friends as they now stood at the top of the stairs.

"Where could she be?!" Yuki cried, her calm demeanor gone as it was now her turn to be hysterical.

"I-I don't know," said Lune as his calm demeanor also began to disappear as he clutched Yuki to him in comfort.

"We looked basically everywhere!" Hiromi said pacing.

Toto's eyes narrowed.

"Almost, everywhere."

The three turned to Toto and saw him eyeing, at the end of the hall, the attic door.

"The attic," Lune breathed as they all walked towards it hanging above them.

"It doesn't have anything to have us pull the door down. . ." Hiromi observed.

With a grunt, Toto leaped up and managed to grab the knob causing the door to creak open and the ladder to fall at their feet.

"It's dark up there. . ." Lune said, his eyes narrowed as he started up the ladder first, as Yuki got her phone out.

By the time the four were in the attic, they all squint their eyes, trying to make out their surroundings, until Yuki flipped on her phone's flashlight, letting it light the room, only for the four to gasp in horror.

A lifeless empty shell of a doll leaned on a baby cradle in front of them on the floor. Lifeless brown eyes looking at nothing, as her head was slumped in front of her. To the empty shell's sides, small figurines of a tawny and white-furred half-cats leaned on the left and right of lifeless doll's side, content smiles on their faces as their stone-like eyes glittered, as the group of four collapsed to their knees crying out in anguish.

Unbeknownst to the group, the smell of cinnamon slowly growing in the air around them.

* * *

A/N: Yeah... this is new I know. But I wanted to try writing something with the themes of Horror/Psychology with a Dark!Baron and Dark!Louise and ended up with this.

This AU was inspired by Coraline and a conversation I had with a friend on the topic of imaginary friends and a idea that occurred to me of " dark creations". But the story was heavily based on the song Trick and Treat by Rin and Len Kagamine.


End file.
